


over you

by violetyoongix



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3RACHA, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bickering, College Parties, Drama & Romance, Drinking, Enemies to Lovers, Exes, Exes to Lovers, In a way, M/M, Messy, Personal Revelations, Pining, Unresolved Romantic Tension, changbin is really hot tho, frat boys, lil angst, ok i lied a lot of angst, platonic binsung, seungbin, seungbin agenda, seungmin is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-05-12 04:19:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19221460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetyoongix/pseuds/violetyoongix
Summary: in which kim seungmin is completely (not) over that cocky musician, seo changbin.// ON HIATUS //





	1. over white tees

**Author's Note:**

> here to push the seungbin agenda ;P. ok but umm this is my first fic! i would love to hear feedback on if you guys like it. also, ignore the spacing its kinda weird but i can't fix it.

It was only ten minutes into his 8:30 am ethnomusicology class, (which he regretted taking wholeheartedly because he was not a morning person), does Seungmin realize how much he despises white t-shirts. It sounded trivial, and it had an equally trivial reasoning behind it. He just couldn’t stand how hot his ex seemed to look in white t-shirts, it was a special weakness of his that he’d never admit. When they were still dating, Seungmin would come up with any reason he could to change into one of his white tees, knowing they smelled really nice and were always warm.

  
But _god,_ it sucked. It really sucked having to stare at the large expanse of back, framed by two tanned, arms that seemed to grow more muscular and defined by the days as the t-shirt was tighter around his skin, carving out every inch of muscle underneath of it. Seungmin didn’t really need to see through the shirt to know that his ex was built, he’d seen it plenty of times when his shirt was off, and he’d flush every time to his annoyance. But everything was different now that they’ve broken up, and Seungmin has sworn off anything that had to do with Seo Changbin.

  
It used to be really fun, coming to this class that _Changbin_ had convinced him to take, where they would sit next to each other and hold hands under the table. They shared secret smiles and gentle pecks when the professor wasn’t looking. Seungmin _loved_ to provide commentary on the professor because he liked being a sarcastic little shit, but most importantly he liked making his boyfriend laugh. But now that they’ve broken up, Seungmin moved to the back row (which was a row behind where he used to sit) and muttered sarcastic little jokes to himself, while glaring at the back of Changbin’s sculptured body. It was absolutely unfair, but he couldn’t drop the class even if he wanted to. It was too late to switch, so Seungmin really didn’t have much of a choice but to stare at him.

But what pissed him off the most about this whole thing, wasn’t even the breakup or having to still be around him. No, it was the simple fact that Changbin just acted like Seungmin never existed. Seungmin would never admit it out loud, but he was a bit hurt by how quickly Changbin had found other people to sit with, like a long-haired boy named Jisung, who he apparently had ‘other classes with’. It was how Changbin would make jokes with him, show him his grand smile with twinkling eyes, and always had to unconsciously place a hand on a shoulder or thigh (something Seungmin secretly loved) that made Seungmin angry. It was how easily he seemed to be able to throw away a two-year relationship like it was nothing, and only talked to Seungmin when he wanted to ask a stupid question regarding this class. That was what made him hate Seo Changbin, he-

  
Seungmin stiffened when he saw Changbin drop the pen he was writing with, it tumbled to the ground behind his seat. He quickly averted his eyes when his ex turned around, trying to reach for his pen, but instead just kicked it out further away from him and closer to Seungmin. He awkwardly stared down at his empty notebook, not paying any kind of attention since the lecture started. _Ugh, this needs to stop,_ Seungmin inwardly groaned, _he still has way too much power over you if you can’t even focus in class_.

  
“Don’t think about him,” He whispered to himself softly, his fingers playing with the cap on the end of the pen, “You’re better than that, you’re better than him.”

  
That was why, to Seungmin’s triumphant delight, he did not help his ex find his pen on the ground. Instead, he let him search around aimlessly, internally laughing at how foolish he looked because his arms weren’t long enough to reach the area where his pen was. He had to bite his lip to keep from snickering, but the victorious feeling was short-lived when Jisung just handed Changbin another pen wordlessly. Seungmin felt a squeeze of hurt and irritation run through his chest as Changbin smiled warmly at his friend, thanking him silently.

  
_Whatever._

  
Seungmin rolled his eyes and returned back to his notebook. He never ended up writing anything down.

 

* * *

 

 “What are you in the mood for Minnie?” Hyunjin asked, carding his hands through his hair for the fifth time since they’ve started their walk out of the building. They shared their last class of the day with each other, and they would always meet up with each other and some other friends (Felix, Jeongin, Minho) for some food and to go hang out.

  
Seungmin just shrugged, feeling especially drained from a 2 hour-timed writing essay he had to do for his Lit class. “I don’t know, pizza maybe?”

  
Hyunjin giggled, “You’re so boring Minnie.”

  
Seungmin glared at him.

  
Hyunjin just laughed again, “We literally had pizza last time.”

  
Seungmin just shook his head, too lethargic to really give a reply. In all honesty, he just wanted to go back to his dorm and take a fat nap after suffering for 2 hours of nonstop writing. Leave it to his luck to make clingy-ass friends (that he really loves) who would raise hell if he skipped out on any of their designated ‘hang out’ days. Hyunjin began to gossip about something that happened in his psych class, and Seungmin pulled out his phone, nodding along when it seemed like his friend was looking for a response. He was so caught up in pretending to be interested in the drama that goes on in Hyunjin’s psych class, that he didn’t realize he accidentally shouldered someone. But their shoulder was so damn strong that _he_ was the one who ended up stumbling, and his phone slipped through his fingers.

  
He let out a sharp curse under his breath, muttering a ‘sorry’ to the person he bumped into and bent down to grab his phone. He froze when a hand landed on his shoulder, it was a familiar one, that was always warm.

  
“Whoops, sorry bout that MinMin.” Only one person called him that egregious nickname.

  
“Don’t call me that.” Seungmin snapped back.

  
His eyes glanced over to the strong thighs under black sweatpants, tight white tee shirt- and yeah, it was Changbin. He held his gaze with him, not moving for a good thirty seconds, before Seungmin’s stupid throat decided that now would be the perfect time to be itchy and annoying, which made him cough and break eye contact. He jumped again when he felt that same hand grabbing his own, softly sliding the cellular device into his.

  
Changbin gave a small smirk, “Unlike someone, I like to help when people drop things.”

  
That was definitely shade.

  
Seungmin glared at the pretty brunette in front of him and sneered, “Oh, but what would you need my help for when Jisung would bend over backwards to do anything for you?”

Changbin raised an eyebrow, "Jisung, huh? Surprised you even noticed him."

Seungmin's glare deepened, "And why is that?"

His ex shrugged, "I don't know, you looked pretty preoccupied staring at my back the whole time."

Seungmin chose to ignore the heat that rushed to his face, instead giving Changbin a glare so heated that if things would go his way, he would be six feet under.

  
He didn't miss the way his smirk stretched across his lips as he simply shrugged. Adding in a nonchalant tone, “Really, it's just simple common courtesy, MinMin.”

  
“I said don’t call me that.”

  
“Right,” Changbin answered noncommittally, standing back up to his full height. He nodded in greeting towards Hyunjin, before giving a gentle wave, “See you around.”

  
“I’d rather eat a jean jacket.” Seungmin muttered darkly, standing up as well and ignoring his ex’s retreating figure. There was a moment of blissful silence, as Seungmin tried to calm down the chaotic feelings racing around his head while checking to make sure there were no cracks on his phone.

  
Then Hyunjin snorted loudly, “Dude, you are so _not_ over Changbin.”

  
“Yes I am.” Seungmin shot back, giving the other brunette a stern stare that made him back off (even if technically Hyunjin was taller than Seungmin).

  
Hyunjin just shrugged, “Whatever you say so.”

  
Yes, Seungmin _did_ say so. And with that, they continued their walk through campus. Felix texted them both in the group chat, they decided to get pizza anyway.


	2. over parties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg thank you guys so much for the feedback!!

_Thank god it's Friday_ , Seungmin thought to himself as he sat himself down on Felix and Minho's couch in their shared dorm room. One of Minho's cats, Dori, hopped up on top of the couch and immediately settled in his lap, purring pleasantly as Seungmin petted him softly. He was pretty sure animals weren't allowed in the dorms, so he really didn't know how Minho managed to sneak in not only one, but  _three_ cats. In fact, he was pretty sure they were harboring a bunch of other stuff that went against dorm policy in here. But Seungmin didn't really care, he'd always come over to microwave anything if he was too lazy to go down to the kitchen on the first floor.

"What took you guys so long? The pizza is almost gone." Felix asked, coming around the corner with a slice in his hand. Jeongin and Hyunjin were already snuggled up on the other side of the couch (they weren't dating, Hyunjin just likes to cuddle). Some anime was playing in the background, Seungmin wasn't sure because he wasn't super into anime, but a blonde boy with some sort of fire power was blasting the hell out of another boy with green hair.

 "Oh, because Minnie had some...catching up to do with a certain someone." Hyunjin answered, not even trying to hide the mischievous grin on his face. Seungmin was going to throw a pillow at him, but the cat was still in his lap so all he could do was glare at the other brunette.

"Oh really?" Minho asked, entering the room with Soonie in his arms. He raised an eyebrow, his expression mirroring Hyunjin's. "That's interesting."

"Who was it?" Jeongin asked, genuinely confused and not catching on at the secret looks Hyunjin and Minho were sending each other.

"It was nobody." Seungmin muttered, suddenly interested in the half-eaten pizza box.

"And by nobody he means Changbinnie~"

"Please don't call him that." Seungmin groaned, flopping back on the couch. Dori jumped out of his lap. 

"Oh wow, still so possessive of him even thought y'all aren't together." Minho flashed a sly grin.

"I'm not!" Seungmin felt his face getting hot. Damn it. "I just don't want to hear his name, especially like _that_."

 They all laughed at his expense. Seungmin glared at them, silently debating if going back to his dorm was worth the 20 minute walk (yes, Minho and Felix lived on the other side of the campus). He stayed miserable and quiet as Hyunjin went through the whole exchange, which couldn't have lasted more than a minute, but Hyunjin's dramatic ass had to stretch it out to 10 minutes. To more of his embarrassment, they all sat at the edges of the couch, nodding eagerly and laughing when Hyunjin talked about Changbin calling him out on staring at him. In conclusion, Seungmin was embarrassed as hell.

"I really hate you guys." He muttered, staring at a piece of pizza because he really couldn't make eye contact with anyone.

"We love you too. But I don't really see anything wrong with it," Minho shrugged, "If my ex was built like Changbin I'd stare at him all the time in class too." Hyunjin and Felix voiced their agreements, and Seungmin ignored the way his ears felt hot.

"Can we honestly talk about anything other than him? I know there's a more brain stimulating conversation we can have that's _not_ this." 

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Minho's eyes brightened as he seemed to realize something, "We actually do have something to talk about. There's a party at the Alpha Phi Delta house later tonight."

"Count me in!" Hyunjin cheered, raising his slice of pizza.

"Yeah, me too." Felix said.

"Not you Jeongin, you're still a baby." Hyunjin cooed, and the latter responded by pushing him away.

"I'm literally 19, shut up."

"Not old enough to drink though."

"So is your 20-year-old ass."

"Are you children done?" Minho asked, annoyed.

Seungmin, who had naturally been ignoring the younger's bickering suddenly perked up at Minho's earlier words. Alpha Phi Delta? Why did that sound so vaguely familiar to him? He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew from the bad feeling that settled in his stomach that going to this party wouldn't be good for him. "I'm out."

"Aww, why?" Felix said, his lips turning down into a pouty frown.

Seungmin sighed, "Too tired. Plus, I have a euro history paper due at midnight on Sunday, I should probably get an early start."

The others moaned out their complaints, but didn't try to persuade him. They knew how seriously Seungmin took his work, and even if it was just an excuse to get out of going, they wouldn't try to get in his way. Really, it was one of the (many) reasons why Seungmin loved and appreciated them. 

 

* * *

 

Seungmin watched his laptop power on as he dried the damp strands of his hair with a towel. After he had spent some time with his friends, (3 hours filled with watching anime, scary movies, and witnessing Minho and Hyunjin argue on who was the better dancer on Just Dance) he left when they decided to start getting ready. Since Hyunjin was his roommate, he had the dorm all to himself when he got back. It was nice having some quiet time to relax by himself. He'd been procrastinating by watching unsolved crime mysterious on youtube and playing games on his phone, but once his battery flashed and he realized it was already past midnight he decided he should get a move on (after taking a nice shower). He only made it to typing his name and date on the document when his ringtone went off, and Seungmin acted like he wasn't happy for the distraction.

"Yeah?"

 _"Hey Seungminnie!"_ A slurred voice shouted into the phone.

Seungmin sighed, "Let me guess, you all are too drunk to function and you need me to come pick you guys up."

 _"Yes!"_ Hyunjin replied on the other line.

"I guess I'm on my way then."

_"This is why you're the best person ever! I love you~"_

"Yeah, yeah." Seungmin muttered, "Send me the location."

* * *

 Seungmin arrived, begrudgingly, to the frat house. Of course, the party was in full swing and the yard was already littered with people and red solo cups. He parked the car and got out, squeezing the keys in his pockets as he felt his anxiety rise a bit. He was never the best at social situations, especially something as unstructured and rambunctious as a party. He could count on his hands how many parties he's been to, and all of them were because he was asked to go (by either Minho or Changbin). So being here, without someone he knew to accompany him, was just a little bit nervewracking. There was a reason why Seungmin steered clear of the fraternities.

He weaved his way past the stumbling drunk bodies around him, feeling the air become thick and heavy with the heat of so many people packed into one space. Seungmin felt a little nauseous, but he pushed it to the back of his mind and focused on the reason he came here; he needed to find his friends. He had pushed his way past a good 10 people already, and turned down half of them trying to offer him alcohol. He almost got trampled over a crowd forming near him because some frat guy decided to do a keg-stand. He could feel sharp, quick bursts of pain pulsing from his left forearm, where it took most of the blow from his fall and cursed under his breath.

"Am I always gonna have to pick things up for you, MinMin?" A familiar voice chuckled above him, immediately filling Seungmin with dread. He suddenly remembered why the Alpha Phi Delta was so familiar to him, it was because Changbin was affiliated with them. And there he was, standing in a shirt that wasn't a white tee but still very tight dark jeans, and the black cap with earrings poked into the top. His favorite cap.

_Well, shit._

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Seungmin retorted, pointedly ignoring Changbin's outstretched hand and shakily rising back to his feet. First, he couldn't come up with an intro for his essay, then he's at a party that he hated and now he's ran into his ex. This night really couldn't get any worse.

Changbin tilted his head, "But you let your friends call you Minnie?"

"That's because they are my  _friends._ And not an asshole like you."

"Ouch." Changbin playfully touched his chest, "I thought we were closer than that."

Seungmin crossed his arms, "Exactly how close can I be with an ex who broke up with me?" For once, he was silent, and Seungmin took this as a victory. He sneered, "That's what I thought," and turned to walk in another direction, not even sure if his friends would be there but he wanted to escape Changbin while he still had the last word. 

"Hey." God, of course he could never have the last word. Seungmin turned around, Changbin nodded towards the sliding doors that lead to the backyard, "Your friends were out there, last time I saw them." Seungmin frowned, but went in the direction his ex pointed in. What he didn't expect, was Changbin to follow (so closely) behind him. A part of him wanted to be annoyed at the handsome brunette's persistence, while the other part of him wouldn't stop freaking out about it. He really hated how messy his feelings were. 

Someone had rushed through the crowd, colliding into Seungmin and spilling booze all over the front of his shirt ( _of course,_ it had to be his favorite white shirt). The guy didn't even try to apologize for bumping into him like that, he just whined about how he had to go back to the kitchen to refill his cup. 

"This is why frats don't deserve rights." Seungmin muttered bitterly to himself, looking around for something to help. And how much booze was in that guy's cup anyway? His shirt was completely  _drenched._ "Why don't you guys have any paper towels? Doesn't drunken messes like this happen often?" He glared at the shorter brunette.

Changbin just chuckled softly, "Calm down, MinMin. Here, follow me."

Even though he started moving in the opposite direction of where his friends supposedly were, Seungmin sighed and followed after him. About halfway through the walk, he realized where they were going, and he ignored the way his heart started up in his chest as Changbin pushed open the door to his own room. He was relieved to see that there was nobody else occupying it, the other probably had his door locked for that exact reason. A wave of nostalgia passed gently over Seungmin as he took in his surroundings. Nothing had changed from when they were together, and he would come over all the time. Changbin's bed was still ridiculously messy with the covers dragged all the way to the end of the bed (Seungmin always got on him for that). His small black couch that faced a TV with a gaming system attached to it still looked as comfortable as ever. He still had his mini-recording studio sat up in the corner of his room, with pencils and pieces of papers balled up and scattered around the desk because Changbin never got rid of anything he wrote, even if he didn't use it. Something about the semantics of the process of writing song lyrics, he told him one night while they were snuggled together on his small black couch.

Seungmin tried to catch himself from going down memory lane too far, because this night sucked enough as it was and sitting in his ex's room thinking about what they used to be was only gonna hurt him more. So instead of focusing on the space around him, he crossed his arms and turned his gaze to his ex who was currently walking towards his dresser.

"Take off your shirt."

"Excuse me?"

Changbin glanced back at him and replied with a mischievous smile, "You heard what I said."

"That's my cue to go." Seungmin retorted, hand reaching for the doorknob.

Changbin groaned, "Oh, come on MinM-" Seungmin glared at him, "I mean,  _Seungmin._ I'm just teasing, you know how I meant it." He reached into his dresser and pulled out one of his white tees, "Here, I know how much you like these ones."

Seungmin fought hard to control his blush as he came and handed him the shirt, "God. Were you always this annoying?"

His ex just grinned and shrugged. Seungmin rolled his eyes and pulled his own shirt over his head, purposely shoving it into Changbin's arms. "Wash it."

"Someone's getting assertive."

He ignored the shorter brunette as he pulled his shirt over his head, immediately being enveloped in the scent of Changbin. He pretended like it didn't affect him. Changbin's eyes flickered down to the slightly loose article of clothing on Seungmin's body, and nodded in approval, "It fits enough."

"Great." Seungmin muttered dryly.

A knock at the door interrupted what was turning into an awkward silence, and the door opened a moment later. Seungmin wasn't sure to know what to expect, but he sure as hell wasn't expecting Jisung to walk through the door. His eyes widening as he analyzed the situation, and took a step back.

"Oh. Is this a bad time?"

 _Yes._ Seungmin thought in his head.

"No, come in. Seungmin was just leaving anyway." Changbin replied nonchalantly.

Seungmin's glare whipped back to his ex, but he was already smiling at Jisung. He pretended that his chest didn't twist at the sight of that. Instead, he immediately turned and walked out of the room. He found his friends (thank god) who were all draped on a large couch on the deck. Felix was the first to recognize him, a dazed smile on his face as he cheered, "Seungminnie!" This, of course, got the rest's attention. Seungmin helped up Minho and Hyunjin (who were the drunkest) while Jeongin and Felix leaned on each other. 

* * *

It wasn't until Seungmin got everyone home and nicely tucked Hyunjin into his covers, that he was able to slip back into his own and continue working on his intro.

"Hey Minnie." Hyunjin whispered, surprising the other because he was sure Hyunjin passed out cold in the car.

"Yeah, do you need some water or something?" Seungmin asked, ready to climb out of bed again.

Hyunjin let out a soft giggle, "Who's shirt is that?"

Seungmin's face flushed, "I thought you were drunk."

"I'm drunk, but not stupid." Hyunjin shuffled in the sheets until he was facing his roommate, a sly smile on his face, "So did he take off your shirt or...?"

"Go to _bed_." Seungmin snapped tiredly, ignoring the way his roommate giggled.

 

 


	3. over bets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all i'll say is...stan the boyz.

On Monday afternoon, Seungmin found himself at the campus' library, looking for yet another book for another project (this one a midterm). He was still pretty exhausted from pulling an all-nighter to finish his euro history essay, not to mention all the mental/emotional exhaustion from dealing with all the events that transpired at the party three days ago. Seungmin made Hyunjin swear on his Park Jinyoung photocards that he wouldn't mention the shirt thing to any of their other friends, but that didn't mean he wouldn't tease him mercilessly for it. For god's sake, it was only  _one_ time...okay, maybe twice because what was Seungmin supposed to do? Hyunjin liked to keep the room warm, and his ex's t-shirt was as equally light and airy as it was soft. Maybe he'd been too presumptuous to write off white tees just because Changbin liked to wear them, but he'd never admit  _that_ out loud.

"Tell me Minnie, where should we go for fall break? I'm thinking a trip to Busan would be cool, I haven't been there in a while. Minho wants to go to Jeju Island, but  _everyone_ goes there. I don't know, I just think a road trip would be fun. I've never been on one with friends, but they make it seem to cool in the movies. The perfect bonding experience, don't you think?" Hyunjin asked, trailing after Seungmin while he looked for Sigmund Freud's  _Civilization and It's Discontents._

He snorted as he gently skimmed over the book's spines, "Bonding experience? We've known each other for like 3 years."

"Yeah, but Felix is still pretty new! He's only been living in Korea for about a year and a half. I thought it'd be nice for him to get out and see more than just Seoul."

Seungmin processed his roommate's words, and after a moment, he agreed. "Yeah, your probably right."

He didn't miss Hyunjin's wicked grin, "Yes! Another vote for team Busan!"

"Oh? This was up for a vote?"

"More like a bet," The brunette said with a shrug, running his hands through his fingers. Seungmin briefly wondered how he could do that so smoothly with all of those rings on his fingers, "To see how many of us can collect the most votes for our fall break trip. If I lose, I give him 15 bucks."

"Of course." He replied dryly, rounding the corner to get to the next aisle. His eyes languidly scanned across the columns of books until they landed on two figures standing towards the end of the aisle, and they widened when he recognized  _both_ of the people. His heart jumped into his throat, and just as quickly as he rounded the corner, he turned around and walked back, dragging the unsuspecting brunette with him. 

"Hey-!" Hyunjin's shout of protest was muffled as Seungmin covered his mouth with his hand. With his other, he held one finger up to his mouth hoping to convey his meaning without actually having to speak. Of course, Hyunjin being Hyunjin, would completely disregard this. "Okay first of all  _gross,_ I don't know where your hands have been so kindly please don't touch my mouth." He said, grimacing as he pushed Seungmin's hand away, "Second of all, what the heck man? You yanked me so hard I think I pulled a muscle." He whimpered, massaging his arm.

"Just be quiet." Seungmin whispered sternly.

Hyunjin lazily raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"Because!" He began, but then felt himself quickly flush at the thought of doing all of this because he saw his ex in the library. "Well, _duh_ because this is a library. You were speaking too loud, you need to be considerate of others."

The brunette's expression remained unimpressed. "So you mean to tell me, you jumped and pulled me back into this aisle because you're worried about me being too loud?" He asked dubiously.

"Of course." Seungmin replied, but his voice was too high. Even he didn't believe himself, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that right now. Instead, he slowly approached the corner again, only peaking his head around to see that it  _was_ Changbin, talking to Jisung while he casually leaned against the bookshelf. He was too far away to hear their conversation, but they looked engrossed enough that they probably weren't gonna move anytime soon. Which was a shame, because this happened to be the aisle Seungmin  _needed_ to find his book.

"Minnie, what are you- oh..." Hyunjin started, peaking over Seungmin's shoulder to see what he was staring (or more accurately,  _glaring)_ at from over the corner.

Seungmin felt embarrassed, but he played it off as annoyance. "I swear, he keeps showing up everywhere I need to be. Can I go one day without seeing his face every time I step outside?"

"Well, you and Changbin do go to the same school and you both major in the same department. Plus this _is_ a public building where students come often, so to answer your question probably not." Hyunjin replied, unhelpfully. The other resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Hey, who is he talking to? That guy looks kinda familiar."

"Jisung." Seungmin muttered (bitterly) under his breath, but loud enough for Hyunjin to hear.

The brunette smirked, "Wow, he's kinda cute."

_"Cute?!"_ Seungmin spluttered, snapping his gaze to his roommate. 

"Yeah! He reminds me of a baby squirrel or something, with his cheeks and big eyes."

Seungmin stared back at the two, and realized that Hyunjin was right. He  _was_ cute, perhaps even cuter than him. It left a bitter taste inside his mouth at this realization, and he wondered if Changbin though the same. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft laugh, and he looked up to see that it was Jisung who laughed, and Changbin was so _close_ to him, from here it looked like he was leaning on him. First, he showed up at Changbin's room the other day and now this, just how close were they?

"Seungmin." Hyunjin's voice broke through his tumultuous inner thoughts. He turned to meet his friend's worried gaze, and felt a wave of panic rush over him. He looked away quickly, because he didn't want Hyunjin to read the thinly veiled emotions that threatened to break through his carefully crafted facade. "They're gone, Minnie. They left." There was no light teasing tinge to his tone, in fact, he was much quieter and serious.

Damn it.

Seungmin peaked over again, and confirmed that Hyunjin's statement was true; they were no longer there. A small part of him felt relieved, but a much bigger part of him felt that same hurt that twisted inside his chest that night of the party. Meekly, he walked through the aisle to find his book and his roommate followed after him. 

* * *

 

 After coming back from that dreaded ethnomusicology class, Seungmin found himself back on Minho's couch with Doongie in his arms now. The smell of (burned) popcorn wafted throughout the living room, and Seungmin was half surprised the fire alarm didn't set off. A couple of minutes later, Minho returned with a large bag of popcorn that definitely smelled like it was overcooked, but Seungmin still grabbed a handful. Once the older settled down, they started the Netflix movie, but after 20 minutes they got bored and started talking.

"So," Minho began, petting Dori who hopped onto the couch.

"So...?"

"Interesting." His facial expression was odd and Seungmin already sensed he wouldn't like where this conversation was going. Before he could ask what Minho wanted, the older started speaking again, "I talked to Hyunjinnie yesterday, he's worried about you ya know."

And there it was. Seungmin huffed, "Yeah, but that's just Hyunjin for you. He always gets worried for no reason."

"Hmm," Minho commented, "Actually, I think his reasons are kinda valid. You've just been acting a little strange Minnie, ever since well..."

He raised an eyebrow incredulously, "The breakup?"

"You said it not me."

"But you're clearly  _implying_ it."

"Well yeah," Minho said, relenting easily before turning his entire body so that he was facing his friend. Seungmin just stared at him bewilderedly. "Listen Minnie, we care about you a lot and we just want you to be happy. It's clear as day you're not over he who shall not be named even though it's been months. I thought it would just naturally happen, but I guess you're one of those who need a little bit of a push."

"Push?" He repeated dubiously.

Minho nodded, "Yeah, just somewhere to start and take your mind off of you know who!"

Seungmin squinted, "So you mean dating someone else?"

"It's not the worst thing in the world. They don't even have to be serious, it can just be a rebound."

"I'll pass."

Minho frowned, "Oh, come on Minnie! I found the perfect person for you and everything! Won't you at least give them a chance before you write them off?" He pleaded.

"Is it Wonpil from Day6?"

Minho just shot him a dry look, "Your sarcasm is not appreciated right now, sir."

Seungmin shrugged and crossed his arms, "What a shame. I can't think of anyone else that would fit the 'perfect person' description."

"How bout I make you a bet." Minho's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"Another bet? You have an addiction or something?"

"I'll buy you any Day6 albu-"

"Bold of you to assume I don't own all of them already."

"- _Fine,_ tickets to their next concert." This piqued Seungmin's interest, and Minho knew it the moment he looked up at him. "If you go on this date and actually attempt to open yourself up to someone."

"And if I don't?" Seungmin retorted.

"I'll dye my hair grey or something."

Seungmin's eyes widened, "Wow, you're really serious about this?"

Minho just grinned mischievously. "As serious as a heart attack. So do we have a deal or not?"

Seungmin thought it over for a moment. It wasn't a bad bet, he could have a good time and go see his favorite band, and even if he didn't have a good time he could enjoy Minho walking around on campus looking like an old man. _Wait, Minho is known to have vibrant hair colors, he could probably make grey work for him,_ he thought but then shook his head. Putting the bribery aside, was he really ready to open himself up to someone again? Seungmin was never a social person to begin with, he only had the friends he has today because of Hyunjin, who was nice enough to ask him if he wanted to sit with Minho, Jeongin, and him at lunch sophomore year in high school. It took him a long time to open up to them, so it surprised his friends (and himself if he was being honest) when he started to date Changbin only after knowing him for half a year. Maybe he thought he had gained enough confidence to put his trust in people, take a bit of a leap of faith. And well, everyone knew where that got him in the end...

But still, he refused to let himself crumble all because of one bad relationship. There were plenty of fish in the sea, and quite frankly Seungmin was tired of feeling his mixed emotions rage inside him. It was taking a toll on his emotions, and apparently since Minho and Hyunjin could tell, it was taking a toll on his demeanor. He didn't want to be like this anymore, and if his ex could move on so quickly, he was sure he could too.

So with that, Seungmin picked his gaze up from the greasy pieces of popcorn in his hands, and turned to look at his friend. "Okay, deal."

* * *

 

"Red or black? You know, I'd think you look really good in red. Let's go with that." Hyunjin said excitedly as he went through his own closet, muttering to himself. 

Seungmin, on the other hand, sat on his own bed feeling somewhere between annoyed at Minho and concerned for how hyper his roommate was. Honestly, was there anything those two didn't tell each other? As soon as Seungmin returned to their dorm that night, Hyunjin had jumped off his bed and immediately bombarded the shorter with questions.  _"I heard you were going on a date? Who is it with? Is he tall? Is he cute?"_ Seungmin had to remind him that he didn't know anything about this mystery person other than his name, which was Kim Sunwoo. He remembered the brunette's eyebrows drawing together in confusion, before groaning and complaining because it was apparently the one guy Hyunjin _didn't_ know in their year.  Oddly enough, that made Seungmin feel better.

But now, he was sitting on his bed four days later watching as the other fret over his outfit for the night. This date might as well have been a royal wedding with the way his friends were acting all excited. Jeongin had a lab so he couldn't stay, but Felix was laying on Hyunjin's bed, (supposedly) helping the brunette pick out a look for him. While Minho was in the bathroom, getting the curling iron ready because according to him, _"curly-haired Seungmin was the superior Seungmin."_

"Okay, I think I might've done something with this! Ugh, my mind is so powerful." Hyunjin popped out of the closet with a red graphic top with sparkly black letters. 

Seungmin's eyes widened dramatically, "I'm going to a cafe,  _not_ a club! That shirt is way too short!"

"The cafes only the meeting place, who says you guys can't have fun from there?" Hyunjin replied with a playful wink. Seungmin remained unimpressed. "Sheesh, okay fine! I'll find something else."

"I still don't see what's wrong with what I have on?" Seungmin frowned down at his clothes. He was wearing a light blue shirt, with his favorite over-sized jean jacket over it, dark wash jeans and white converse. He glared up at his roommate when he had the audacity to laugh out loud, at least Felix covered his mouth. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"There's nothing wrong with your style Minnie," Felix was the one to explain as he looked him up and down, "It's just a little plain. We want you to stand out on your date tonight."

"Right!" Hyunjin chimed, before disappearing back into his closet. 

Surrendering this argument (because he knew it wasn't one he could win anyway) Seungmin just flopped back onto his bed, staring up at his ceiling. He couldn't lie to himself, he was a bit curious and excited to see where this was gonna do. Would this finally be him turning the page to the next chapter of his life? His eyes scanned across the room, and landed on the white tee that definitely wasn't his, sitting neatly folded up on top of a couple of his school books. He frowned at the memory it triggered, and immediately tore his gaze away from that shirt. _One day, I'll have to give it back...or burn it._

After an hour of fighting with Hyunjin over what he was going to wear, they both settled on a large black shirt with a long-sleeved white shirt under it, tucked into a pair of medium distressed black jeans, a leather black belt, and his white converses (The 'E-Boy' look, as Hyunjin called it). Minho did his hair while Hyunjin fussed over his makeup; he would only allow some eyeshadow, foundation, and chapstick. Once the two were done, they nudged Seungmin into the bathroom to see the final result, and he had to admit his friends did a pretty good job. He looked really nice, even if he was only dressed up to go get some coffee.

"Remember: Kim Sunwoo." Minho said as they approached the cafe on campus. He shoved his phone into Seungmin's face, and after complaining about him being the reason he'd lose his eyesight, Seungmin took a look at the picture. He was really handsome, with a boyish charm to features that made his heart kickstart in his chest. Seungmin surprised himself, it's been a while since someone else had ever made him flush like this.

"Oh my god, I feel like a proud mom." Hyunjin murmured from the backseat, and he rolled his eyes.

After listening to them give giving him all last-minute tips, Seungmin was finally able to get out of the car and take the sidewalk to the cafe up the hill. He absolutely  _refused_ to let them anywhere near the actual building, it was already bad enough that they wanted to drop him off here. Seriously, Seungming couldn't remember them being  _this_ excited about his love life since he first announced that he was dating Changbin. It was amazing how such little things like this could excite them.

He entered the quaint little cafe, immediately feeling the smell of coffee waft through his nose. He hasn't been here since he pulled an all-nighter for his songwriting class a couple of weeks ago, and since he didn't see Sunwoo anywhere in sight, he decided to go ahead and order something first. Maybe putting something inside his stomach will make the butterflies disappear down there. He walked up to the line, sighing to himself when he felt his phone in the back of his pocket vibrate frantically. Sunwoo didn't have his number, but he knew anyway that it was his friends. 

"They really need to find a new hobby." He muttered dryly, checking his messages anyway. He was right, which was why he didn't bother replying to any of them, they'll calm down in a little bit. 

"Hello sir, how may I take your order today?" A warm, familiar voice broke him out of his thoughts. Seungmin's gaze snapped up to meet the bright, big round eyes as he smiled at him through his sandy brown fringe. He looked different with his uniformed hat on, but Seungmin knew who it was without much thought. 

One of the banes of existence.

"Oh, hey Seungmin." Jisung greeted, recognition flashing in his eyes.

He tried his best not to grimace, "Hi."

There was an awkward pause, and Jisung chuckled softly, "So uhh, what would it be?"

"Oh, right." Seungmin stared up at the board above him, even though he knew his order by heart. "One iced americano please." Jisung nodded slowly, and the whole thing just kept getting more awkward for Seungmin. He'd only talked to him a handful of times in class, but that was before him and Changbin broke up. 

He grabbed his drink when it was done, and purposely took up space at a small table in the back room. He gnawed on his straw apprehensively, feeling his heart pound in his chest a little bit harder than before. The longer that he was here, the more nervous he was beginning to feel. He checked the time on his phone; 5:26. It was okay, he still had 4 more minutes until the time for the actual date would start. This was a good thing that he was early, he could practice introducing himself while trying to calm down his nerves. 

"Seungmin?"

He turned around instantly, but instead of seeing the picture on Minho's phone, he saw Changbin. Literally what the  _hell,_ universe.

_This can't be happening._ Seungmin squinted, "What do you want now?"

That same, stupid smug smile was on his handsome features as he put his hands up in surrender. "Relax, just wanted to get some coffee." He appraised the clothes that the other was wearing, and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "I like the new look."

"Thanks, but your compliment means nothing to me." Seungmin went back to swirling his drink with his straw. He heard his ex sigh from behind him.

"C'mon Minnie, I don't want to fight with you anymore."

"For once I feel the same way," Seungmin took a sip of his drink, and eyed the shorter with a glare, "Maybe if you'd leave me alone, we wouldn't have this problem."

 Changbin sighed again, "I really didn't want things to be like this between us. Listen, Minnie I'm-"

"Seungmin?" For once, a new voice called out, and both of them glanced in the direction of the voice. It was a very nice looking guy who approached them, and Seungmin was confused for a couple of seconds as to why because he completely forgot about the date when his ex showed up. But now that he remembered, he stood up from his chair, the nervousness an all-time high as he waved his hand to get his attention.

"Who is that?" Changbin was staring at the newcomer, for once that smug little smirk wasn't on his lips. In fact, it was more like a barely-contained scowl. 

Which gave Seungmin immense satisfaction as he turned to him with a smile, "That would be  _my_ date."


	4. over cafes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um wow just like to say thank you guys for the comments/kudos/bookmarks! i really appreciate it! also, changbin's pov included and an introduction to 3racha:)

"He's your  _what_?" Seungmin heard Changbin's voice echoed from behind him, but he payed the other no mind as he made his way over to the Sunwoo. 

He had to remind himself to put a pleasant smile on his face (he was told numerous times by Hyunjin and Minho that he looks unapproachable because he never smiles) and calmly went over the lines he practiced at the table in his head. Seungmin met him halfway in the cafe, and tried not to let it bother him that much that other people's eyes followed him. Instead, he looked up at the other boy who was quite a bit taller than him.  _I guess I'm not really used to being around tall people, since all my friends are ridiculously small._

"Seungmin?" Sunwoo asked carefully, almost shyly and that made his smile feel more relaxed and genuine.

Seungmin nodded in confirmation, "Hey, so you must be Sunwoo right?"

The ravenette nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, that's me! Minho told me about you, but..." He trailed off for a second, and Seungmin's heart stuttered anxiously.  _Oh god,_ he mentally groaned,  _what did that cat-lover tell him?_ He quickly recovered when Sunwoo just grinned at him, "He never told me how handsome you were, though."

Oh. 

_Oh..._

Now Seungmin's heart stuttered for a different reason, and as much as he tried to fight it he couldn't resist the blush that colored his cheeks a rosy tint. How could he, when a handsome man like this was being so nice and charming to him?

He fiddled with one of his sleeves sheepishly, "Thank you, heh. You're not so bad yourself."

Sunwoo's smile didn't waver, "I'm glad to hear that."

Seungmin nodded, definitely feeling the curious stares from everyone around them, especially in a certain direction. But he did his best to pay them no mind, as he suggested Sunwoo order something and they both walked back to the line. He was worried about what he could talk about for small talk, but it seemed that apprehension was unneeded, because Sunwoo took a lot of the initiative. He asked him about his major, what he'd like to do once he graduated, his likes and dislikes, his family, all of that cordial stuff.

By the time they made it back to their table, Seungmin's coffee was cold, but his heart was pleasantly warmed by their conversation. It turns out, both of them liked music  _and_ Day6 in particular. This melted away any lingering anxieties he had about this date, and now he was completely animated and happy to discourse. _Maybe_ Minho made some strong points when he said he'd found someone that fit Seungmin's type. 

They talked for hours, and Seungmin was genuinely surprised when he realized they were still the only occupants in the cafe. One of the employees had come over to notify them, and he felt a little embarassed, but mostly happy that he was having such a good time that time slipped away from him. They had ordered a small dessert from the cafe, and were sharing the dessert while discussing their favorite Indie composers when Sunwoo suddenly reached across the table. 

Seungmin stopped talking, confusion written across his features as he opened his mouth to question the other's actions, "What-"

Sunwoo, in the most gentlest way possible, wiped away a smudge of vanilla frosting that stuck to the bottom corner of his lip from their treat. Seungmin blushed harder, and under normal circumstances he would've found the whole exchange kind of a cliche. But it just felt different with Sunwoo... _everything_ felt different with him. He'd brought up a lot of emotions bubbling inside of Seungmin that he didn't think would see the light of day ever again. He was definitely enjoying this date more than he thought he would, which is why he had to look away when Sunwoo gazed directly into his eyes as he said;

"Sorry, your lips were a little distracting."

As if Seungmin wasn't as red as a tomato already, he had to go and make everything worse. He was glad he wasn't chewing anything, because he probably would've choked on it. 

"T-Thanks." He finally managed, after great concentration.

Sunwoo chuckled lightly, sitting back in his seat comfortably. "You're welcome."

There was a (not subtle at all) cough from one of the employees, a girl with purple-dyed hair who came to them earlier, that stood near the assortment area for sugars and creamers. She looked at them pointedly, and then jerked her head towards the clock on the wall, before disappearing through the 'employee only' door. There was a beat of silence, and then both of them erupted into tiny giggles. 

"Okay, maybe we should get going. I'm starting to feel bad for her," Seungmin finally suggested after their laughter died down, pulling out his wallet to leave a tip.

"No need," Sunwoo stopped him gently by holding his hand, and the latter pretended the skin contact didn't make him scream internally. "I got it." He continued, quickly putting 10 dollars down on the table next to the empty dessert plate. 

"Wow, look at you. You must really want to impress me." He teased lightly, standing up from the table and hoping his voice wouldn't waver.

Sunwoo looked up at him through his long eyelashes and even longer fringe, "Well, you're someone worth impressing."

"Sometimes I wonder if all your sweet comments are innocent, or you just really want to see me flustered." Seungmin replied, feeling some of his sarcasm drip through his words as he strategically angled his face so the other wouldn't see him blush  _again. For the love of god, this was the 5th time this hour._

Sunwoo laughed again and shrugged, "Maybe a little bit of both."

"Right."

They both made their way out of the quaint cafe, and into the quickly darkening sky. The lampposts that lined the streets glowed a soft amber color, and the few students that were still out and about walked the sidewalks quietly. Because of the October weather, the wind that picked up had a bit of an icy chill to it, and Seungmin kind of wished he fought harder to keep his oversized jean jacket with him. They both walked in comfortable silence down the winding sidewalk, enjoying each other's presence and the tranquility of the environment around them.

"Do you want a ride back to your place?" Sunwoo asked softly, speaking up in the gentle quietness.

"I live kind of far away, I wouldn't want you to go out of your way..."

The other shook his head, "Oh don't worry you're good. Minho told me you lived in the Waltwin dorms, mines isn't that far from there anyway."

"Okay." Seungmin conceded, and they headed over to the parking lot that was at the end of the hill. He discreetly admired the sleek, black Audi that flashed when Sunwoo pulled his keys out. "Oh, so you're from money?"

For the first time that night,  _Sunwoo_ was the one that looked flustered. "Yeah, kind of...that doesn't bother you, does it?"

"Oh, no not at all. I was just teasing you."

He let out a cute little sigh of relief, "Good, because most people act kind of different when they find out I'm wealthy."

It was definitely an interesting asset, but Seungmin wasn't shallow or materialistic. He only cared about personality, and how compatible the other person's personality would be with his. He kept these thoughts to himself as he climbed into the vehicle, feeling relief immediately surge through his veins as the heaters came on automatically, and Sunwoo was backing out of the parking lot. He put his playlist on shuffle, and Seungmin was pleasantly surprised when the intro to Congratulations came through the speakers.

He hummed the words to himself happily, thinking about how this date couldn't have gone any better. After all of the messy shit the universe had put him through recently, this felt like a blissful breath of fresh air. Maybe the universe wasn't praying on his downfall after all...

He turned on his phone again, not phased at all by the hundreds of messages from his friends. He scrolled through them aimlessly, but froze when a message appeared on a contact he'd never thought would appear. 

_**changbin:** _

_can i talk to you?_

And just like that, the universe was back to hating him.

* * *

 A slow but heavy hip-hop beat drifted through the speakers surrounding his computer, both Changbin and a (freshly dyed) bleach-blonde haired man bopped to the beat. Currently, they were both working on the melody of their latest song, trying to get the chorus together. Chan grabbed the keyboard that was plugged into Changbin's computer, testing out some random notes to see if it would go with the beat. After a couple of minutes, both found a note that seemed to satisfy them and the music was cut off.

It was a good thing that Changbin didn't have a roommate, not because the music was obnoxiously loud, but because of how often he would find himself here with Chan making beats in Changbin's mini-studio. Last year, the shorter male had met the blonde in a music engineering class, and they clicked instantly, due to similar music styles and artists, as well as both of them being interested in hip hop. Changbin discovered the older's musical talent when they worked on a class project together, and ever since then they've been creating music together. At first it was just a hobby, a way to blow off some university induced stress and just have fun doing what they loved, but that all changed a few months back when the easygoing blonde came into his room frantically, announcing that one of his friends hooked him up with a guy working for a music label, scouting for new talent. It almost felt surreal, at first it didn't even register to Changbin that this could be their opportunity and he actually laughed in his face. But once the blonde profusely convinced the Changbin that he  _wasn't_ messing with him and this opportunity was for real, his whole mindset changed. 

And now here they were, months later (with Jisung introduced after Changbin meeting him in his ethnomusicology class) working on their EP together to send to this talent scout. They were almost done, now all they needed was their big break...and well, a name for their group.

"Where is Jisung?" Chan asked, eyes glued to his screen as he edited the beat.

Changbin, who had been writing lyrics for his verse, looked up and shrugged. "I think he's still at his shift at the cafe."

The blonde groaned, "Oh yeah, he did say something about that."

"He should be getting off soon, though." Just as he said this, his phone vibrated abruptly in his pocket, and he placed his pen and notebook down on his already insanely over-crowded desk to pull it out and read the message.

_**jisung:** _

_hey binnie, my shift's almost over_

_but i kinda need a ride...:p_

Changbin kind of figured, the younger one didn't have a car and the Alpha Phi Delta was a bit too far away to walk. Plus it would be getting dark soon, he knew Jisung could take care of himself, but still. The brunette grunted as he climbed out of his desk chair, walking over to his black hoodie strewn across his couch and pulling it over his broad form.

"Hey, I'm gonna go pick up Jisung. His shift's almost done."

A non-committal grunt was all he got in reply, but he took it as an okay anyway. Making sure to grab his keys, he made his way out of his room and through the halls of his fraternity house. He gave a couple of short greetings to his fellow fraternal brothers, before jogging down the steps of the house and over to their own personal parking lot. Ten or so minutes later, he found himself pulling up to the cafe, and noticed the small silver Honda a little ways from the top of the hill. The brunette stared inquisitively at the car for a moment, wondering why it looked so familiar to him, before shrugging and driving upwards towards the parking lot.

Once the ignition was cut, Changbin hopped out of his car and walked through the glass doors into the cafe, feeling the nostalgia that washed over all the students at university when they walked into a cafe. He looked around, but it wasn't difficult to find Jisung at all, seeing as he was working at the cash register right now. What the brunette didn't expect, was to see _Seungmin_ standing there on the other side of the counter, looking a bit dolorous as he ordered his drink in a tentative voice. Changbin watched the entire interaction, and it suddenly hit him why that Honda looked so familiar. That was because it was the car  _Minho_ drove.

Changbin's eyes flitted across the cafe automatically, expecting Seungmin's group of friends to be sitting at a table somewhere, and was more than a little puzzled when he couldn't find them. The brunette knew very well that Seungmin was not the type of person to venture out in a public place like this, especially without reason. And that reason, was usually his friends, who usually coaxed his introverted soul. He would try to do it too, back when they were dating. Changbin was more of the extroverted type, and always tried to persuade Seungmin to go with him to places. When he wasn't busy with schoolwork or making music, he actually liked to travel and go to places of Seoul he has yet to see. It always took a lot to convince Seungmin, and half of the time he was never successful...but, on the rare occasions he  _did_ manage to pry him out of his room and textbooks, they had a really good time together.

A stab of dejection raced through his chest, and it was quickly replaced with longing as he watched the other walk himself to a table (purposely) in the back of the cafe. He wouldn't lie to himself, he really did miss all of those great memories he had with Seungmin. As fun as it was to tease his ex, there was always a pang of sadness that made his chest feel heavy when he saw him. He really did hurt Seungmin, and he did deserve all of the bitter and snarky retorts he would send his way, but it didn't make it hurt any less. He really, truly, wished things could have gone a different way than how they went that day, all those months ago...

 _This is probably a bad idea,_ Changbin thought to himself, but his feet were already in motion and they made their way to his table. He just couldn't help himself, and he really did know that it was wrong of him to keep seeking Seungmin out, especially after all of the hurt he caused him. But he also just couldn't stand to see him so  _alone_ like this in public, it wasn't like him and it worried him.

He cautiously approached the other, warily waiting for his reaction but realized that he hadn't even sensed him here. He was too busy staring down into his drink and chewing on the straw (but never actually drinking the coffee). To break the awkward silence, Changbin cleared his throat, before trying with a soft, "Seungmin?"

This got his attention immediately. He turned around so fast it made the brunette internally wince, but he kept his expression schooled.

Seungmin glared at him, "What do you want now?"

 _Yeah, definitely not my best plan._  Changbin went for his charming, but casual smiles. Holding his hands up, he replied, "Relax, just wanted to get some coffee." He actually took this time to look over the clothes he was wearing...another very un-Seungmin like aspect of this encounter. He was 98% sure these clothes were all borrowed (probably from his roommate) and it made him think about the tee he let him borrow at the party.  _I wonder if he still has it._ "I like the new look."

"Thanks, but your compliment means nothing to me."

 _Well, then why did you say 'thanks'?_ The retort was on the top of his tongue, but he swallowed it down with a sigh. His objection for coming over here wasn't to start a verbal spar, "C'mon Minnie, I don't want to fight with you anymore."

"For once I feel the same way," Seungmin said, looking at him again sternly, "Maybe if you'd leave me alone, we wouldn't have this problem."

Well, Seungmin definitely wanted a verbal spar. This time, he was holding his gaze, not backing away and just as indignant as ever. Changbin sighed for what felt like the 4th time that hour, and tried again, "I really didn't want things to be like this between us. Listen, Minnie I'm-"

"Seungmin?" A voice interrupted him.

A flare of annoyance he couldn't quite control rose up inside him, because he kept getting interrupted. He honestly didn't remember how hard it was to have a conversation with him. But Seungmin stood up out of his seat, and confused, Changbin followed his ex's gaze to the young guy across the cafe looking like a lost puppy. Another feeling surged inside his chest, this one making him feel more uncomfortable than annoyed.

"Who is that?" He blurted without much thought. His lips subconsciously turning down into a light scowl. How many times does he have to be interrupted?

Seungmin turned back to him with a smile that threw him off guard. It was too exaggerated to be sweet or genuine, plus it didn't reach his eyes. "That would be  _my_ date."

Wait...

Changbin blinked, processing all of this before his eyes snapped back to the newcomer in a mixture of shock and...anger? Irritation? He wasn't sure about that last one. As quickly as Seungmin turned to him, he turned away and walked over to his 'date'. The brunette just stood there for a moment, still feeling aghast. It never really occured to him that the reason his ex could be out here like this was because of a date...

"Yo, binnie!" A voice popped up from behind him, nearly scaring him shitless.

Changbin forced himself to tear his gaze away from the flustered Seungmin, and towards the excited Jisung instead. He was out of his work uniform, dressed in black sweats and a long white t-shirt with his long, dangly earring pieces.

"Hey, man. You ready to go?" He asked, completely oblivious to everything that just happened.

The brunette shot one more look, (completely not) coincidentally in Seungmin's direction, before bringing his attention back to the convivial brunette in front of him,

"Yeah, let's go."

 


	5. over feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, sorry for the wait this chapter took a bit of time to write and idy why lmao... anyway here's some more changbin pov and drama ofc.

Seungmin watched the soft amber glow of Sunwoo’s headlights flash, before disappearing as he pulled out of the small parking lot for Waltwin’s dormitory. He stood in the night’s laconism, staring at a faraway point with no particular interest (all of his concentration was focused on the thoughts rushing inside his head). He had a really good time tonight, it went so much better than he expected. He hadn’t felt this good, this _free of_  stress from overbearing emotions in a while. All his friends want for him is to get better. . . would it be fair to them if he did this?

Would it be fair to _himself?_

Seungmin was only human after all, he couldn’t be the strong-willed, stern and responsible persona he was with his friends all the time. He had weaknesses too, and he was a lot more vulnerable than he’d ever admitted. Maybe that was his excuse for not immediately blocking or deleting his ex's number from his contacts when they broke up. Maybe that was his reasoning for willing himself to get up at 8 am just to sit in a row behind the person who caused him so much hurt. Maybe that was his justification for keeping that white t-shirt folded carefully under his pillow (he had to move it because he didn’t trust Hyunjin). 

But tonight taught him something; just because you say you’re going to give something up doesn’t mean you will. Yes, it takes a while to get over heartbreak but...you can’t really get anywhere if you don’t let go of what’s holding you back. It’s a hard truth to face, but Seungmin was starting to realize what Minho and Hyunjin were talking about. Even if it was only for a few hours, the feeling of not being burdened by unrequited feelings felt like an extremely heavyweight had been lifted off of his shoulders. And he wanted to taste that feeling again. But in order to move on, he was going to have to let go. The thought of that had an uncomfortable clenching sensation forming in his chest.

With a shaky breath, he raised the phone that was still in his hand (he kept it there since he received the message). He stared at the message again, feeling his heart do multiple flips in his chest as his fingers wavered over the ‘delete contact’ button. 

“You can do this,” He muttered to himself, his voice still unsteady, “You can get over him.” Shutting his eyes tight, he quickly pressed the button, feeling his heart race in his chest. After a few moments passed by, the anxiousness died down and his heartbeat returned to normal, he cracked open one eye, staring blankly at the now-empty page. 

 _Shit, okay that was dramatic but...still kinda hard._ He thought to himself, staring at the page for another minute, before pocketing his phone and pushing open the door, the warm heat a pleasant change from the frosty winds.

* * *

 A week later, Seungmin found himself sitting on the red fuzzy carpet of his dorm room (Hyunjin’s choice of carpet, not his) with his black Delsey suitcase laid out open in front of him. As fall break was inching closer, the workload from classes was starting to wind down, and his group of friends finally decided that Busan would be their destination. He wasn’t sure how they were going to fit all of their things into Minho’s small little Honda Civic but the junior dance major had his ways. On a good note, things have been going pretty well for Seungmin. Ever since that night when he deleted Changbin’s contact number, he’s felt a lot lighter. No, it still wasn’t easy for him but, Sunwoo made things a lot better. They’d been texting a lot, and going every once and a while for coffee. It feels nice to have a fresh face in his life, and he didn’t make a lot of friends very often so this was kind of a big deal. 

He was pulled out of his inner musings when his phone vibrated, and he unlocked it to see the text message of said person pop up on his notification wall. A soft smile had curved up his lips before he even realized it was there, and he was quick to reply. Sunwoo wanted to know if he was free later on.

“Minnie, have you seen my blue trunks with the cute little dancing turtles on them?” Hyunjin asked, walking back into their room with a stack of clothes so large that it covered his entire upper body. Since they were leaving in more or less a week, they needed to get packed, which meant laundry day for the ravenette since he always waited until the last minute to do his laundry. 

Seungmin grimaced, but shook his head, “No but wherever they are, I hope they stay hidden.”

Hyunjin scoffed, obviously offended, “Those are my favorite trunks.”

“And they are a crime against humanity. Seriously, who puts mustaches and fedoras on turtles? It’s ugly and you know it.”

“Turtles with mustaches are _cute_ because it’s nonsensical. Maybe if you had a sense of humor, you would appreciate them. ” Hyunjin fumed, dumping all of his cleaned clothes into an ungraceful heap onto his own suitcase. After that, he flopped back onto his bed with a dramatic groan. He was silent for a few blissful seconds, before he suddenly jerked his head up, using his elbows for balance as he looked at Seungmin curiously.

“Who are you texting?”

“My mom.” Was his dry response.

“You never smile like that when you text your mom.”

The brunette stared at up inquisitively, “How would you know?”

Hyunjin gave him a cheeky grin, “Because I’ve known you for three years, duh.” He flipped on his stomach, moving himself closer to the edge of his bed so that he was closer to his roommate. He held his face in the palm of his hands, blowing a couple of dark strands that fell in front of his face, and gave him a teasing grin while licking his lips. If Seungmin didn’t already know Hyunjin personally, he might have fallen for the handsome man. A lot of people do, so he wouldn’t have been the first...or the last. Hyunjin had a way of attracting people towards him, weird quirks and all.

Seungmin just snorted, his phone buzzed with another notification.

Hyunjin assessed his roommate’s reaction to the message carefully, his curiosity only mounting, but he’d knew he would have to tread carefully. Seungmin wasn’t the type of person to get open with someone easily. He couldn’t even begin to explain how long it took Seungmin just to admit that he was dating Changbin (three months, _three_ whole months! And another two weeks before he finally introduced him). He wouldn’t push, _for now,_ but he did smile at the way Seungmin’s eyes brightened. It has been entirely too long of a time since he’s seen his eyes sparkle like that, and he was genuinely happy for his friend.

He changed the subject, “So we’re going to another party tonight. It’s not a frat this time.”

“Thank god.” Seungmin muttered.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened in curiosity, “So you’ll actually come this time? And not just to pick us up when we get wasted?”

“I never said that.”

“You essentially implied that,” Hyunjin sat up excitedly, “C’mon Minnie! All the hard classes are over with! This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate.” Hyunjin eyed him teasingly, “At least ask to see if Sunwoo is going.”

“I-” Seungmin’s gaze snapped up at his friend, his face flushing quickly as Hyunjin fell back on his bed with laughter.

Trying to push away the furious blushing, the brunette stood up, placing his phone down on his bed, “I’m gonna go take a shower.”

He figured Hyunjin was too busy laughing his ass off to care, so he gathered his things and left. After a good thirty-minutes of cleaning and self-care, Seungmin returned to his dorm to find his long, dark-haired roommate hovering around his bed. His heart skipped a couple of beats in his chest at the thought of his roommate finding the hidden t-shirt under his pillow. Without much of a thought, he quickly raced forward.

“What are you doing?”

Hyunjin turned around slowly, not even having the decency to look ashamed as he slowly brought his hand from behind his back, brandishing Seungmin’s phone. His mischievous grin fixed on his lips as he wiggled the phone teasingly, “Nothing really...except for doing what you weren’t gonna do.”

It took Seungmin a moment to process those words, but when he did, all he could do was let out a tired sigh, “You told Sunwoo about the party, didn’t you?”

“My hands might have accidentally slipped and sent him a text.”

He rolled his eyes, snatching his phone back, “You and Minho will be the death of me.”

Hyunjin pretended to pout, “I’m just helping you out, plus since he’s going, it would be rude of you to _not_ go.”

Seungmin threw a stern glare to his roommate, but when he turned back to his phone, he couldn’t help the small surge of hope that coursed through his veins. Maybe this party wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

* * *

Arriving at this party was definitely different from any of the other ones Seungmin was (forced) to attend. For example, the location was very different; instead of the typical large, two-story frat house with a grand expanse of green lawn, it was a smaller apartment complex that was actually a couple minutes off-campus. They all piled into Minho’s car, Seungmin was thankfully in the passenger's seat, so his ears were somewhat spared from Hyunjin, Felix, and Jeongin belting loudly to a girl group’s pop song playing on the radio. 

Just because the location was smaller, didn’t diminish the usual pandemonium that came with parties; loud music, people everywhere, dancing and stumbling around, spilled drinks. Seungmin learned from his mistake last time, and decided to wear a dark shirt. Minho and Felix immediately made a beeline for the alcohol in the kitchen area, while Hyunjin kept talking animatedly about something that happened in one of his classes again to Jeongin. Seungmin glanced around a little nervously, it was practically _impossible_ to search for someone in such a large, tumultuous crowd, but he got the message that Sunwoo was already here. He opened his conversation with him again.

_I’m here now._

_Where r u??_

He waited anxiously for a couple of minutes, before feeling the relief poured through him when Sunwoo finally responded.

**_Sunwoo:_ **

_I see you, i’ll come to you._

“Is he coming?” Hyunjin asked him.

The brunette snapped out of his daze, and turned to his snoopy roommate, “Well yeah, thanks to _you_.”

“Oh, you’ll definitely thank me later.”

“Seungmin,” A familiar voice called from behind him, and he turned around to meet the familiar, handsome man.

“Well, well, well,” Hyunjin drawled teasingly, “Glad you got my accidental text.”

* * *

 

“What are you doing tonight?”

Changbin looked up from the music sheet he was reading, to send a questioning look towards Jisung, who was returning his stare with an equally eager look. Changbin just shrugged, shuffling his music sheets into a neat stack before laying them down on his bed, “Nothing much, maybe work on a new verse for our EP.”

“Well, can you go with me to a party instead?”

The ravenette scratched the back of his neck, “I don’t know, I think I partied enough to cover the semester.”

Jisung groaned dramatically, falling back onto the bed. “C’mon man, could you help a guy out?”

This piqued the rapper’s interest, and he looked up at the other, “Oh? Is there someone you were expecting to see at this party?”

Jisung conveniently stopped making eye-contact, instead choosing to stare at their dirty carpet. Changbin laughed softly, shaking his head, “Dude, you need to get a license.”

“Shut up,” Jisung grumbled, “So will you take me or not? I heard it was the bash to celebrate the end of fall exams, it should be good.”

Changbin stared down at his music sheet for a long moment, he really _should_ finish writing his verse to their latest song. Unfortunately, he was having a bit of a writer’s block. He figured sitting here staring at music sheets and his scrawled notes wasn’t going to do anything to help him. Inspiration would come when it came.

So with that reasoning, he stood up and shrugged his dark hoodie over his body, “Where’s the location?”

 

* * *

By the time Changbin, Jisung, and Chan (yes, they miraculously managed to drag the blonde away from his computer) arrived at the party, it was more or less at its peak. Red solo cups littered the grand, and you could hear the crunch of plastic almost everywhere you walked, but this was nothing new to him. After all, he lived in a frat house. It felt like Jisung had disappeared as soon as they stepped foot inside, which didn’t really bother him. Unlike the two of them, he was here for a reason, Changbin just hoped he’d accomplish whatever goal he had in mind.

“Wanna go take some shots?” Chan asked.

Changbin snorted, but followed the blonde to the kitchen area of the apartment. There was a rather tall, handsome man with a defined jawline standing there, pouring himself a shot of Vodka.

“Woah,” Chan said with wide eyes, “I didn’t know it was _that_ kinda party.”

The handsome stranger just smirked, sliding the bottle across the counter to him. “I just finished a rather stressful AP bio exam with a rather pain in the ass teacher, I think this warrants a vodka cranberry.” 

Chan nodded with a crooked smile, and Changbin knew immediately that he was feeling this stranger. He poured some vodka into his own cup, and then grabbed the cranberry juice next to another strange bottle. Once they both had their beverage concoctions, they clinked their plastic cups together before downing their drinks. Changbin kind of figured at this point his presence wasn’t necessarily needed, so he decided to grab a can of beer and make his way over to the living room makeshift dance floor.  

As nice as a distraction this was from writing, he still really wasn’t in a party mood. He’d stay a couple of hours, only have a can or two (since it was clear he was going to be the designated driver) and maybe kill the next couple of hours with some company. He was scanning the crowd around him, and a small smirk came to his lips when he found someone he deemed good ‘company’.

He was dancing with a long-haired guy, with a sense of carefree enthusiasm and slightly shaky movements that suggested he was inebriated. It was hard to see his features (or anyone really) due to the only light in the room was the white and blue flashing strobe lights. But upon closer inspection, Changbin realized why this person stood out to him amongst the crowd of people.

It was Seungmin.

His brain was thrown for a loop, and for a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating. But no, it really _was_ Seungmin here, with Hyunjin, Felix, and some other guy...wait, this was the mystery guy who Seungmin announced was his ‘date’ at the cafe. An indescribable burst of bitter jealousy burst through his chest, and he felt his grip tighten around his cup. Seungmin was dancing so close to this guy, through his arms around his neck, leaning into him, and then throwing his head back to laugh, exposing the smooth skin on his neck.

_No._

Changbin had to force himself to tear his gaze away from the scene, it would only make the jealousy sting even harder. He knew, deep down, he had no right to feel this way, but he couldn’t help it. Seungmin had been in the back of his mind ever since that day at the cafe, and he couldn’t erase the hurt he felt when the brunette never answered his text message. Or when he found out that he had blocked him. Feelings were a complicated matter, and maybe that day made Changbin realized he wasn’t quite ready to move on from Seungmin as he originally thought he was.

Changbin sighed, getting up from his seat. He was definitely going to need a little something stronger than what he currently had.

* * *

 

The heavy bass from the music vibrated against Seungmin’s skin, but for once he wasn’t bothered by it. It may be the alcohol, but these types of parties were suddenly ten times more enjoyable. Or maybe it was Sunwoo.

Definitely a mixture of both.

Seungmin danced skillfully to the up-beat tempo, moving his hips and laughing loudly into Hyunjin’s sleeve as they all danced together in the crowded, sweltering room. He could feel a little bit of perspiration forming on his forehead and the back of his neck, dribbling down his back. After about five or six songs passed, Seungmin felt a body lean closer to him, invading his nose with the heavy scent of cologne.

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom real quick.” Sunwoo whispered.

Seungmin just nodded, his head still fuzzy and spinning (but he was having a damn good time). He danced half-way through another song before it finally dawned in on him that his clothes were practically sticking to his body. He needed a break, and another drink, so he whispered (when in reality it was just him yelling over the music) to Hyunjin and Felix that he was going to get another drink. Both the blonde and the ravenette nodded clumsily in their tipsy stupor. 

Seungmin weaved his way through the crowds, his head still pleasantly light and dizzy as he eventually made his way to a counter where a bunch of mismatched stools were set up. He grabbed the glass of Vodka for himself, pouring it into his cup before sitting down and taking a long shot.

“Woah there hotshot,” A voice said from somewhere behind him. Seungmin didn’t really pay much mind to them, until the red solo cup in his grasp suddenly disappeared. It took his fuzzy mind an extra moment to realize this, but when he did, he turned around in his stool angrily.

“Give me back my drink, asshole.” He tried to sound stern, but his words were a little slurred.

The voice, was attached to a figure who felt oddly familiar but he couldn’t place why. It was hard to see him because of the dark hoodie and snapback cascading his features in shadows. Plus he was kinda drunk. 

“Asshole?” The hooded guy scoffed, “Well, shame on me for just trying to save you a visit to the hospital to get your stomach pumped.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes, “I haven’t drank _that_ much.”

“You’re voice is so slurred it’s actually hilarious.” There was a hint of humor in his tone, and the lower side of his face which was illuminated by the strobe lights stretched into a light smirk.

The brunette just let out a snort, leaning forward to try and snatch his cup back, but due to being inebriated his calculations were off and he ended up falling right into the stranger’s arms instead. A spark of pain raced up his chin from where it connected against the guy’s defined collarbone and shoulder muscles. _Shit, this guy is built like a brick house._ Seungmin mentally lamented inside his head, a small groan leaving his lips.

In response to the way Seungmin fell, arms immediately wrapped around his body to keep him in place. Once the shock wore off, the hooded guy just stared at him in bewilderment. Now usually in a situation like this, Seungmin would’ve been so embarrassed that he would’ve tried to find a way to physically eviscerate into dust. But since Seungmin was drunk (i.e a whole lot _bolder_ than sober Seungmin) he decided to take this advantage of being closer to the stranger to get a better look at his face. He leaned in as close as he could, eyebrows drawn together in concentration as he stared at the long nose, small but wide eyes, and nice brows.

_Why did he feel so familiar?_

By now, it was getting kinda weird. At this point, Seungmin expected the guy to push him away or at least let go of him. _I’ll guess I’ll make the first move then,_ the brunette thought to himself as he tried to gently break away from his hold. That did not work, instead the hooded guy’s arms around him only tightened, and brought Seungmin’s skinnier frame closer to his own. They were standing so close to each other that he could feel the heat from his body radiated off of him, he could hear his deep intakes of breath.

Now, Seungmin was a little bit embarrassed, his cheeks were already flushed from the alcohol so there was no point in hiding his blush. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that this wasn’t a good idea, that he should probably get away from this stranger and go find his friends again. But he didn’t want to move, he _liked_ being caged in this person’s arms. Something about it just felt so warm and familiar…

“I don’t really like that guy you’re with.” The hooded guy said, his voice so quiet that Seungmin was surprised he even heard it. He could feel one of the hands that were wrapped around his waist run down the side of his hip gently. A shiver ran down his spine in response, “I know it’s selfish of me to think that way. . .but I just can’t help it.”

Seungmin stared right into his dark eyes, feeling nothing but excitement and attraction as the stranger continued to look at him like he was the only person in the room. He cocked his head to the side, a smirk of his own decorating his lips, “Then why don’t you do something about it?”

The hooded stranger just stared at him, his eyes wider than ever before. “You’re not serious...you’re just drunk.”

But he never leaned away from him, they were still so close that they could share a breath. He just kept _staring_ at him, and it got to the point that Seungmin became fed up. Fueled by his rising excitement, carefree drunkness, and pent-up arousal, he decided to make the first move himself. 

“Fine, I’ll do it for you.” Raising his hands to the stranger’s structured jawline, he brought his head down so that his lips could connect with his own.

 

 


	6. over mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oop! here with a shorter chapter ft more drama and the start of the minsung agenda

Having this stranger’s lips on his own felt exciting, and eerily familiar in a way he couldn’t describe, but he wasn’t worried about that right now. It just felt so good, to let go for one night and _not_ have to worry about other things. Seungmin was having a great time at this party (for the first time in history) and he wasn't going to let his deep-rooted guilt over a relationship that didn't even exist anymore get in the way of that. 

Seungmin's mouth opened a little to give the stranger more access, tilting his head to the side in an angle that would make it very awkward and uncomfortable for him, in any other situation. _Wow this stranger was a really good kisser,_ he thought bemusedly. His mind was still blissfully hazy and warm from the alcohol, and the addictive feel of this hooded guy’s soft lips against his own only pushed him further into euphoria.

But just like that, the spell had been lifted as the warm body surrounding him was pulled off of him. Seungmin opened his eyes lazily, wincing from the harsh strobe lights.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You know how he feels about you, you _knew_ and you _kissed_ him?!"

That voice sounded familiar too, the name was floating somewhere in the back of his mind. So close to him, but not enough to fully recall.

"He kissed me! And I didn't even want it to go down like that-" The hooded man tried to defend himself weakly, but was interrupted.

" _Bullshit!_ All I saw was you two sucking faces like your lives depended on it," now it dawned in on Seungmin as to who that voice belonged to...it was Minho. Minho, who by now had made sure to put a lot of space between Seungmin and the stranger he just made out with. He was still glaring at him with hostility as he gently wrapped an arm around Seungmin, "You okay, Minnie?" He murmured softly to him.

Seungmin wasn't sure why he was being like this but he nodded anyway.

"Good. And as for _you_ ," Minho said, turning his scathing glare back to the shorter man, "I never disliked you after the breakup, I was sure you had your reasons. You kept your distance, so I assumed you moved on, but he never did. It took him so long to get to where he is right now, and you- not only did you break his heart, but you took advantage of him while he was in a vulnerable position. I _despise_ people who take advantage of other people's vulnerablities." His voice was so stern and cold, every word that came out of his mouth felt like dripping, stinging poison. Seungmin would’ve never imagined that the light-hearted, goofy dance major could be so ruthless like this, "But if you have a small piece of human decency left inside you, l have some advice for you. Kindly stay the hell away from Seungmin, and I'm serious this time. Stay _away._ "

With that, Minho looked away from the sulking stranger, and carried Seungmin back in the direction of their friend group. 

"And you," Minho hissed, pinching the top of Seungmin's arm to get his attention, "Just because I went off on your ex does _not_ mean I'm pleased with you either. I can't believe you did that Seungmin! And so blatantly out in the open where anyone could see! What if it was Sunwoo who saw you instead of me, huh? Then what?"

Seungmin just shrugged blankly, he could feel the pleasantly light dizziness starting to fade away. He was coming back to reality...he was sobering up.

"I don't know what came over me," He answered his friend honestly, "It was as if every bone in my body, every part of my being was telling me to kiss him. I can't...really explain the feeling," His eyes suddenly widened, "Wait! _Shit,_ what about Sunwoo? Where is he?" He looked around frantically for the tall brunette.

"Still in the bathroom," Minho replied dryly, "Don't worry, no one saw you frenching your ex but me."

Seungmin laughed, even though nothing about this situation was really funny. "Why do you keep calling him that?"

Minho eyed him inquisitively. "Calling him what?"

Seungmin grimaced, "My ex. He's not him, I've never seen him before tonight."

Minho stared at him for a moment long enough to become uncomfortable. "Just how drunk off your ass are you, Seungmin? Because you sound crazy."

"I'm _not_ crazy, you're the crazy one," Seungmin frowned, not liking the way Minho was still looking at him, "What? You are, because there is no way-” He stumbled a bit as he was making exaggerated hand movements, “-on God's green earth that I just kissed my ex-"

"Seungmin." Minho said, in a firm voice he usually only reserved for Hyunjin and Jeongin when they would fight each other. "I need you to understand this okay? Changbin is at this party, he was the one who approached you, he was the one...you kissed."

Seungmin stared at his friend for a long moment. And then, just like that whatever light happy feeling that was left running through his bloodstream suddenly turned ice-cold, as if it could physically jerk him out of drunkenness.

"Wait _what?!"_

Both males turned around at the sudden outburst to see Hyunjin standing behind them with dramatically wide eyes. Seungmin mentally cursed as Minho nodded in confirmation, if there was one person he didn’t want to find out about that, it was his vivacious roommate. He had barely processed the thought himself. Hyunjin turned his shocked gaze to Seungmin, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him slightly.

“Wait, Minnie is that true?! Changbin was here? And you _kissed_ him?!”

Seungmin shushed him quickly, wriggling his way out of the ravenette’s vice-like grip. “You don’t have to be so loud!”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, “As if anyone can hear anything over this loud music.”

“Is everything good?” A familiar voice appeared, and all three males turned to find Sunwoo looking at them with a slightly concerned expression, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. 

“Oh yes! Everything is fine!” Minho was quick to answer, since all Seungmin could do was stare in shock. He winced at the purposeful nudge to his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Seungmin eventually uttered, nodding his head sheepishly.

Sunwoo still looked worried, he leaned a little, examining the brunette’s flushed features, “Are you sure, Seungmin? You look a little flushed...also you’re stumbling a bit.”

_Damnit,_ Seungmin cursed inside his head. He was sobering up but he still wasn’t sober enough to balance himself correctly.

“Actually, you’re right Sunwoo. Seungmin isn’t doing well, he’s kinda wasted,” Minho replied, and the other three male’s gazes all snapped towards the eldest. Both Hyunjin and Seungmin were ready to protest, but Minho cut them off by nudging Seungmin towards Sunwoo, “Maybe you should take him home, I think he’s partied enough tonight.” Unbeknownst to Seungmin, who was trying to gather his balance, Minho and Hyunjin shared a look between each other. The long-haired ravenette immediately understood the elder’s intentions, and played along.

“Yes! Seungmin is very tired, he definitely would appreciate the ride home with you.” Hyunjin grinned like a cheshire cat.

Seungmin raised his eyebrows, “I’m fin-”

“So you should go ahead and take him home, you know where he lives right?” Sunwoo nodded at Minho’s question, “Great! We really appreciate it!”

“Yeah, we do!” Hyunjin chirped in, “Take care Minnie! I’ll see you back at our dorm in a couple of hours!”

Seungmin could sense that his two friends were up to something, but couldn’t quite conjure the accusation he had in his mind. Instead, he just let Sunwoo escort him through the heavy crowd of people and eventually out into the parking lot of the apartment building. The cool, reticent quietness of the night was a stark contrast to the sweltering, raucous party and Seungmin appreciated it silently. It helped him sober up more, so he thankfully wasn’t staggering in his steps anymore.

“You look like you had a pretty good time.” Sunwoo said, a light tease to his tone as he gently held onto Seungmin’s arm. He was walking fine now, both of them were aware, but neither of them made a move to break the contact.  

Seungmin just snorted, already anticipating the headache that would ensue later on (this is why he hated drinking), “Yeah, that’s gonna be my last party for a while.”

The ravenette chuckled good naturedly. 

The lights to the sleek, ebony Audi flashed and Seungmin was filled with a sense of nostalgia from their first date (a little over two weeks ago) and a small smile crept up his lips. Sunwoo was so good to him, good _for_ him, and he couldn’t believe how close he was to almost sacrificing that. The guilt crashed into him immediately, and the smile slipped from his face. After finally swearing him off and getting him out of his life, he couldn’t believe he caved so easily with just some alcohol and close contact. Apart of him hated the fact that even after all this time, he _still_ had a significant control over him. 

_No, it was just a mistake. A stupid mistake._ Seungmin thought to himself firmly. _I’ll break this vice, I know I can. I won’t lose control like that ever again._

Seungmin was mildly startled at the warm hand that had reached across the console to hold his gently. His eyes traced the slender pale fingers back to the handsome ravenette as he gazed directly at him. Seungmin caught him staring a lot of times since they’ve been talking, but none of those other times felt like this one. Those other stares were always playful (and a little bit flirty), but his dark eyes were locked on his own as if he was trying to peer into his soul. Maybe his poker face wasn’t as good as he thought, because Sunwoo’s eyes were searching for something in his features, anything that would give his secret away. But this was something he could _never_ tell him, Seungmin already secretly swore to himself.

“Are you sure you’re okay Seungmin?” He finally asked, his voice as soft as the glow of the lampposts above them. “I can’t explain it, but you just seem so different from when we first entered the party. You seem kind of...out of it. Did something happen while I was in the bathroom?”

Seungmin pushed all of the internal guilt and distress away for a moment, schooling his facial expression into one he hoped passed for reassuring. “Nothing happened, I just got a little more drunk than I planned to...I’m alright.” 

To confirm his statement, he slowly opened up his fingers, making space for Sunwoo’s fingers to easily fall into the grooves between his own, their hands fully intertwined. Sunwoo looked down at their hands for a moment, before finally bringing his intensive gaze back to the brunette. Finally, the worried expression was erased and replaced with a relieved smile. Sunwoo finally turned on the ignition, and pulled out of the parking lot.

“So where are you gonna go for fall break?” Seungmin wondered, using his other hand to fiddle with the radio stations.

Sunwoo shrugged lightly, “Probably back to Busan to stay with the rest of my family.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened, “You’re kidding.”

The ravenette threw him an amused look, and laughed, “No,I was really thinking of going there. Why?”

Seungmin felt his face flush, “Well, uh...my friends are dragging me on a trip with them to Busan. A ‘bonding experience’ or whatever, it’s kind of silly.” He scratched the back of his neck, “So yeah, it’s just a funny coincidence. I had no idea you’re from there.”

Sunwoo nodded, “Well yeah, my parents originally lived in Busan but they moved my sister and I to Seoul when my dad got the promotion.”

Seungmin nodded.

“So,” The ravenette turned to him for a moment, an amused smirk on his lips as he raised an eyebrow, “Is this your way of asking me if you want to hang out over fall break?”

Seungmin spluttered, “I-well, maybe? I-I don’t know yet.” 

Sunwoo laughed, looking back out the window, “Well, let me know. The answer would be yes anyway.”

Seungmin looked out his window, feeling the slight squeeze between their hands. He smiled softly, “That’s good to know.”

* * *

It was the morning of their departure, Seungmin could already tell it was going to be a long day (Hyunjin and Jeongin were already arguing _loudly_ about who deserves to sit shotgun, only for Felix to end up sitting shotgun because Minho didn’t want to drive with either of them in the front). Now, they were arguing over which movie to watch on Felix’s laptop (Hyunjin wanted the Little Mermaid but Jeongin was dead set on Tangled). Felix was left to babysit the two while Minho and Seungmin (gladly) went on their coffee run to get their drinks before they drove to the airport. 

Seungmin followed Minho into the quaint little coffee shop, noticing the elder’s eyes searching the room until they landed on a specific person. He also noticed (with a small bit of irritation) that Jisung was at the cash register again. He mentally ran over his choices; it was either sit in the car and listen to Hyunjin and Jeongin or just suffer a couple of minutes of awkwardness. He knew which one was the right one, that’s why he reluctantly stood beside Minho as he listed off their orders. Seungmin was afraid of making eye contact, but realized he wouldn’t have to since Jisung’s full attention was on Minho. He leaned in to whisper something into the older’s ear, and both of them laughed, with secret smiles carving their lips.

Seungmin blinked. _Okay...is there something going on between them?_

He sincerely hoped not, it seems Jisung had a habit of 'befriending' everyone Seungmin was also close with. Wasn’t rubbing in the fact that he’s close with his ex enough? Now he has to mess with Minho too? 

Jisung and Minho were essentially in their own little world, having a hushed discussion between them and getting away with it since the cafe was practically empty, save for a few poor souls who probably weren’t going home for the holidays. So Seungmin chose to sit at the table closest to the counter, going on his phone and scrolling through his notifications to look like he had something to do instead of being the obvious third wheel. He was considering texting Sunwoo to finally ask him, he knew what his answer would be, but he was still nervous. He had never really ask someone out like this before, and his (embarrassingly) short list of romantic relationships could confirm that. 

He didn’t have much time to consider it, because their names were being called out and their orders were done. Minho finally managed to tear himself away from the young cashier to grab their drinks, and Seungmin stood up to join him. He fully planned on interrogating him once they were out of earshot. They were heading towards the glass door, just as someone with a dark hoodie approached the door from the other side. He held the door our for them, and Minho simply nodded his thanks, not paying him any attention (probably because he was still thinking about Jisung). But Seungmin recognized the hooded man instantly, if there was one thing he wouldn’t do was make the same mistake twice. Since there was more lighting, he could see right through the shadow casted by the black snapback. He looked right into his eyes.

Changbin froze.

Seungmin felt his heart speed up in his chest, and quickly looked away. _I won’t let him get to me, I won’t lose control._ He repeated the mantra in his head as he looked forward, not even realizing that Minho had said something to him, until the junior looked at him expectantly.

The brunette was brought out of his muse. “Huh?” 

Minho snorted, “I asked if you wanted anything else before we go. Do we have enough snacks?”

“Probably not.” Felix’s deep voice appeared in front of them, and they both jumped.

“Felix! Aren’t you supposed to be in the car with-”

“Yeah, but I got tired of hearing them trying to outsing each other in disney songs.” Felix said with a tired sigh, his wide brown eyes brightened when he saw the coffee in their arms and immediately grabbed his own, “Finally!” 

Minho laughed at that, and all three of them continued their way towards his car. True to Felix’s word, they found Jeongin and Hyunjin indeed trying to outsing each other. Keyword: _trying._ Thankfully, they stopped trying when coffee was brought into the car, and that kept them satiated. Against his better judgement, Seungmin found himself glancing quickly back towards the cafe. Changbin’s figure was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Jisung’s.He was suddenly reminded of flashing bright lights, warm air charged with electricity, the hooded look in dark eyes, and the feeling of velvety warm skin against his own. He quickly looked away, focusing back on the present before he got too lost in the past again. He looked back down at his phone again, his fingers hovering over Sunwoo’s contact name.

**_Seungmin:_ **

_Can we hang out during fall break?_

It didn’t take him long to get a response.

**_Sunwoo:_ **

_Ofc :)_

Seungmin smiled down at his phone, only to nearly drop it as Hyunjin suddenly wrapped his arms around his neck. 

“Time to have some funnn! Group Vacation!” Hyunjin cheered excitedly.

_“Gah!_ Hyunjin!” 

Seungmin strained against the ravenette’s absurdly strong grip. “Let go!”

“Hyunjinnie, please don’t kill Minnie.” Minho muttered tiredly from the front.

They pulled out of the parking lot, with high spirits and laughter (of course, at Seungmin’s expense) not ever noticing the sharp eyes watching them leave.

* * *

“Jisung,” Changbin said, turning back to the taller male with freshly-dyed dirty blonde hair as he took off his apron. 

“Did you see the guy that walked in with Seungmin? He was the one I wanted to meet at the party,” A cheeky grin was on his face as he leaned against the counter, “Pretty hot, right?”

Changbin winced at the memory of his last interaction with Minho. “Uh...yeah, I guess.”

Jisung raised an eyebrow, “ _ I guess?  _ You’d have to pretty much be blind to not see how attractive he is. Literally, he’s insanely attractive.”

Changbin sighed heavily, “Jisung…”

“I mean, I know you’re a little bit biased due to your preferences but still! He’s a dance major, he can drive, he has like a bunch of cats he snuck into his dorm, he-”

_ “Jisung _ ,” Changbin said, more firmly to get the blonde’s attention. 

The blonde’s eyes widened. “What? Is something wrong?”

Changbin looked down at his fingertips, nervously tapping against the counter, “I think…” He sighed again, building up the courage to finally admit what he’d been feeling the last couple of days. He finally lifted his gaze, looking his friend straight in the eye, “I think I want to get back together with Seungmin.”

 


End file.
